Innocence
by Larilaya
Summary: Abby gets a new assistant, and an inter-agency romance seems inevitable. But why does she keep saying no? McGee/OC. Conceptualised before I knew about Delilah, so she doesn't exist.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has already read and reviewed this chapter. I honestly had no idea how completely screwed the formatting was. This is my second upload attempt, hopefully the formatting is what the author intended, not some weird computer garble. Enjoy! Chapter two will be coming very soon. :)

This is my first NCIS fanfic and I haven't written a word for four years, so please do let me know if this is terrible. The chapters are going to be quite short, but at least it means you should get them regularly. Also, I conceived this story before I'd seen Season 12, so it's written as though Delilah never existed, hence the OC that's coming in the next chapter. I hope that doesn't annoy too many people. Enjoy!

* * *

"Ask the girl out, McRomeo, and be done already. What's the worst that can happen, right?"  
"I have asked her, Tony. Every week. She keeps saying no."  
"But she likes you. Everyone knows that. Even Mike the Janitor is asking when you guys are going to start shacking up together. It's like the most annoying soap ever."  
McGee shot Tony an annoyed look."I'm sorry if my personal life is frustrating you. I can't imagine what that must feel like," he said sarcastically.  
"Calm down, McGee. It's only because we care. Bishop, you care, right?"  
"Of course I do," said Ellie, looking up from the papers on her desk. "Maybe there's a reason she keeps saying no. She could have had a failed relationship and doesn't want to get hurt again. Or she just doesn't want to get involved with anyone at work."  
"Maybe she's involved in a secret mission for the CIA, and you'd be a liability." Tony turned the thought over in his mind, doing his Al Capone impression, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."  
"Right, well, I'm leaving fantasy land to go check on the DNA results. You two have fun with the fairies," McGee said as he got up and walked to the elevator.  
"Sure thing, Tim," Tony said, returning to his desk. "Tell Mata Hari that I said hi!" Tony snickered at his own joke as he got back to work.

It had all started five weeks ago, when the Director called Abby up to his office.  
"Please come in, Miss Sciuto," said Vance, holding the door for her as she entered. He motioned to a seat.  
"Thanks, Director. What's up?" Abby sat down as Vance sat in front of her.  
"I wanted to talk to you about your work, Abby, if you don't mind."  
"Is there anything wrong?"  
"No, no, of course not. Your work, as always, is exemplary."  
"Then what's the problem?" Abby was confused.  
Vance considered the woman sitting opposite him. 5"11 with knee high boots, short skirt and skull-embossed shirt. She had her dog collar, dyed black hair and dark lipstick. Never in his life would he have thought by looking at her that she possessed one of the keenest scientific minds he would ever encounter. He paused a moment before answering.  
"No problem, Miss Sciuto. In fact, I called you in here to offer you some help."  
"Help?"  
"An assistant."  
Abby immediately became uncomfortable, her protestations forming on her lips. Vance held up a hand. "Just hear me out for a minute. I am aware that your track record with outsiders in your lab isn't good, but the work is coming thick and fast, and all forecasts point to that continuing. In addition, I receive several requests a month for your assistance on cases from other agencies. I'm getting tired of having to turn them down. It doesn't look good when it comes to inter-agency co-operation, but I have to consider how hard you work on NCIS cases, and therefore cannot ask you in our present conditions to take on extra work. Your days are already much too long."  
"I don't mind, Director, really. NCIS is my home. My whole family is here."  
"I know that Abby," Vance said kindly, "But the fact is that this is a job, and you shouldn't allow it to take over your life so completely. You do good work here, and heavens knows how we'd get along without you, but there needs to be a life for you outside of NCIS. So, I've been thinking about how best to reduce your working hours to a reasonable rate and give you time to work with other agencies if and when they request your expertise," he smiled encouragingly. "And I've come up with a solution."  
"An assistant?" Abby was almost incredulous. She couldn't believe that she would have to go through this again. She wondered how long she'd have before her new lab partner tried to kill her this time.  
"I know how nervous you are about this," Vance said as he walked back to his desk, fingers buttoning his suit jacket. "And I can't say I'm surprised, not with your history." He laughed, inviting her to share the joke. Abby could only feebly smile in return. "Think about it, Abby. An assistant would be able to do the basics, saving yourself for the more difficult forensic work." Vance lifted a pile of six folders on his desk, offering them to her. "These are candidates for the position. They've had all their checks done, and I would be happy to approve any of them, whichever one you choose."  
"I choose?" Abby said in surprise.  
"Yes, you. It'll be your choice Miss Sciuto. I'm trusting you to choose someone you can get along with."  
"You mean someone who isn't a homicidal maniac," Abby said wryly, taking the folders.  
Vance smiled. "Just so, Miss Sciuto. That will be all."


	2. Chapter 2

Abby watched as the latest candidate left her office, the doors sliding shut behind him. She turned to look at Gibbs, sitting in the shadows near the wall.  
"Ugh," she shuddered. "There was something very Michael-like in the way he looked at me, Gibbs. I'll be checking the security cameras for a week."  
Gibbs smiled his half-smile, saying nothing.  
"Which one do you think?" Abby asked.  
"It's your decision, Abs," he replied.  
"I know that, Gibbs, but I wanted your opinion. You're the best at reading people, after all."  
"What do you want me to say?"  
"Um, I don't know. Maybe which one is the least likely to destroy evidence, or try to frame the team, or kill us all?"  
"No-one's going to kill you, Abs," Gibbs said with quiet confidence.  
"They've had pretty good goes at it in the past." Abby remembered her last assistant and the knife he'd pointed at her. Thanks to a well thrown Caf-Pow and her ever-present rolls of duct tape, Chip had been thwarted in his plans.  
Gibbs rose from his chair, leaned over the desk and kissed her forehead.  
"You're safe now, Abby," he whispered. As he strode out the door, Abby called after him.  
"Which one, Gibbs?"  
"Don't know yet, Abs. Haven't met them all." The reply came floating back as she looked at the one remaining file on her desk.

Tony stood in front of the elevator doors, adjusting his gold watch and waiting. Bishop had wanted to see _The Big Sleep_ with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, such a sexy lady, so he'd brought his copy in for her to borrow. Except when she'd asked if he'd remembered, he realised that he'd left it in the car. A few pointed comments from McGee about chivalry and broken promises later, and he was preparing to bear the outside wind once again. Oh well, it was for a good cause after all. Bogey was worth it.  
Finally the elevator doors opened on its occupants, a young woman wearing a visitor's badge and the agent escorting her.  
"Thanks, Tom, I'll take it from here," Tony said as the woman stepped out of the elevator. Tom nodded and the doors closed.  
The girl facing him was mid 20's, small, slim with dark brown hair tied neatly into a professional-looking bun. Her features were fairly unremarkable, nose a little too large, mouth with the bottom lip slightly bigger than the top, but it was her eyes that held Tony's interest. Big, bright green with long lashes. The kind of eyes a man could lose himself in without even noticing that he'd stopped breathing. The girl raised an eyebrow and Tony realised that while he hadn't stopped breathing, he had been standing there staring with a silly smile on his face.  
"Uh, hello, I'm very special agent Anthony DiNozzo, how may I help you?" Tony recovered himself, pulling his manner back into the realms of professionalism. He held out a hand for her to shake, the girl took it in one small hand and introduced herself.  
"Elizabeth Kellan. I'm here for a job interview with Abigail Sciuto?"  
"I'll take you to her," Tony motioned towards the back elevator as Elizabeth followed.  
"So you're a forensic tech," Tony said with an appreciative sidelong glance as they walked through the squad room.  
"Good guess," came the reply. "Putting 'job interview' and 'Abigail Sciuto' together."  
"Hey now, that's not nice."  
"I'm sorry, Agent DiNozzo, I get snippy when I'm nervous." Elizabeth rubbed her neck, giving him a small smile.  
"Well, I would say that you have nothing to worry about," Tony stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for Abby's lab, "But Abby can be... thorough."  
Elizabeth looked at him in horror.

Abby summed Elizabeth up as she sat in front of the desk, nervously turning her hands in her lap.  
The interview itself had gone well, obviously the girl knew her stuff. But then, so had everyone else. What set this one apart, besides being the only female on Vance's pre-approved list, was the small glimpse of a generous nature underneath the nerves and professional attitude.  
Sure, she was so clean-cut she practically squeaked, but there was something in her manner that hinted she was not so strict as she appeared.  
"So, Elizabeth, what do you do for fun?" Abby asked.  
"Um, I prefer Beth," she smiled. "As to your question, lots of things. I watch movies, read books, play on the internet a little," Beth wished she knew what Abby was looking for. She'd been asked everything from how to use the mass spectrometer to what kinds of music she liked. It was unnerving, how the questions seemed to jump from fingerprint analysis to her favourite colour to evidence protocols. And while she was on the subject of being unnerved, who was the older man sitting off to one side? Abby had never introduced him, and all he had done was stare. At her.  
"You don't go out with friends?" Abby's next question seemed oddly intent.  
"Not at the moment, no. I just moved to Washington, and I don't really know anyone here yet. All my friends are in Seattle."  
"But you do have friends?"  
"Yes," Beth said slowly. Who doesn't have friends, she wondered. "We email a lot. Facebook, too."  
Abby looked over at Gibbs, raised her eyebrows and inclined her head towards Beth. Gibbs nodded minutely, and Abby broke into a grin.  
"Welcome, Beth, to the lab of Abby!" Abby used her remote control to start the next track playing. "It sounds like you're up for the task, which is good, because we have a lot of work to do."  
Gibbs rose from his chair and left. "See ya, Abs."  
"Thanks, Gibbs!" She called, moving round to her computer in the main lab as he walked out the door. Beth followed.  
"I've got the job?" She asked incredulously.  
"Yes, you do. You certainly seem to be the most normal of all the candidates, which, believe me, is a huge relief. I really hate to waste a good Caf-Pow in self-defense." She began typing on her computer as Beth tried to puzzle out what she meant.  
Abby paused and turned to her. "Have you met the rest of the team?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hi everyone, thanks for sticking with this story after the initial glitch-iness (sorry about that!). Please keep reviewing! Yes it's a short chapter, but that means a short time between updates!

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"Hey, McGee, have you met Abby's new assistant yet?" Tony threw a balled up piece of paper at McGee's head, trying to get his attention.  
"No, not yet Tony," McGee said in a long-suffering tone. "But Abby told me about her at lunch. Apparently she has good credentials."  
"I'll say," said Tony.  
"You've met her?" Bishop joined the conversation.  
"Sure did, walked her to the lab for her interview," Tony trailed off with a dreamy smile. "I'll tell you what, there'll be a lot of unnecessary evidence logging when word gets out."  
"Great. She's hot," McGee said disinterestedly.  
"Abby said that she had a 4.0 GPA in college and a good working knowledge of electrical components, and all you can think about is her cup size?" Bishop was appalled at Tony's sexism, though hardly surprised.  
"No-o-o-o, I didn't even notice her cup size. She's not really pretty, either."  
McGee looked confused.  
"But you said..."  
"There are more interesting things on a woman than her dress size. This one has the most amazing eyes – bright green and just a little too big, making her look vulnerable and innocent." Tony came back to himself as he realised the others were staring. "They're kinda distracting."  
"I hope they haven't distracted you from the case, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he strode to his desk.  
"No, Boss, not at all."  
"Glad to hear it. Talk to me."  
They rushed to join Gibbs at the plasma and tell him what they knew so far about the murdered Petty Officer found at Norfolk that morning.  
"The fingerprint found at the scene?" Gibbs asked.  
"Abby's running it now," said McGee.  
As Gibbs' phone rang and he went to see Ducky in Autopsy, Tony gave McGee a knowing look.  
"Just wait til you meet her," he said. "You'll know what I mean." Tony pointed two fingers at his on eyes, then pointed them at McGee and back again. McGee looked away in disgust.

"Abby?" McGee called as he walked into the lab. "What did you find on Drake's laptop? Abby?"  
The girl who walked out of the office to meet him was definitely not Abby.  
"Um, hello," said McGee, dumbfounded. Tony was right.  
"You must be McGee," Beth smiled. "I'm Beth, Abby's new assistant. Abby had to see Ducky for a minute. The laptop's over here." She motioned to the silver notebook on the evidence table.  
"We didn't find anything unusual, just some pretty basic protocols and normal activity. Although, he seemed to have an obsession with the _Anne of Green Gables _movies. I'm still deciding if that's normal."  
McGee grimaced. "Yeah, there was a whole bookshelf in his apartment dedicated to copies of those books. Multiple copies."  
Beth made a face. "Well, there are stranger things than well-known books to collect. Old keys, for example."  
"How about the little shampoo bottles from motel rooms?"  
"Shell-covered photo frames."  
"Sugar packets."  
"Toilet seat covers."  
"Belly button lint."  
"Ugh,"said Beth. "Do people actually do that?"  
"Apparently, yes," McGee said. They smiled shyly at each other until the moment was broken by Abby springing into the room.  
"Well, well, I see you two have met," she said meaningfully.  
"I just need to, um," Beth dithered as she moved towards the door. McGee smiled at her and stood aside to let her pass. He turned after watching her leave the room to find Abby looking at him with a knowing look in her eye and smiling smugly.  
"I so knew you two would hit it off," she said. "You should totally ask her out."  
"Abby, we just met. I... Do you really think I should?"  
Abby placed a hand on his shoulder. "Of course I do, McGee. It's not like she'll say 'no'. Not after the way she was smiling at you."  
McGee could only smile in return.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Sorry for the late posting, life can be distracting. To make up for it, Chapter 5 will follow later today. :)

* * *

"Ask the girl out, McRomeo, and be done already. What's the worst that can happen, right?"  
"I have asked her, Tony. Every week. She keeps saying no."  
"But she likes you. Everyone knows that. Even Mike the Janitor is asking when you guys are going to start shacking up together. It's like the most annoying soap ever."  
McGee shot Tony an annoyed look.  
"I'm sorry if my personal life is frustrating you. I can't imagine what that must feel like," he said sarcastically.  
"Calm down, McGee. It's only because we care. Bishop, you care, right?"  
"Of course I do," said Ellie, looking up from the papers on her desk. "Maybe there's a reason she keeps saying no. She could have had a failed relationship and doesn't want to get hurt again. Or she just doesn't want to get involved with anyone at work."  
"Maybe she's involved in a secret mission for the CIA, and you'd be a liability." Tony turned the thought over in his mind, doing his Al Capone impression, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."  
"Right, well, I'm leaving fantasy land to go check on the DNA results. You two have fun with the fairies," McGee said as he got up and walked to the elevator.  
"Sure thing, Tim," Tony said, returning to his desk. "Tell Mata Hari that I said hi!" Tony snickered at his own joke as he got back to work.

"What is up with you! This playing-hard-to-get act is really starting to bug me! To bug everyone! Don't you understand what you're doing to him! How can you be so cruel?" As Abby paused in her tirade to draw in a breath, Beth tried to to interject.  
"Abby, please. I'm not trying to hurt him on purpose! You have to know me better than that by now."  
"I thought I did, but the evidence is indicates otherwise!"  
"I hate this as much as you do, but I don't have a choice!"  
" 'You don't have a _choice_?' What, are you in some secret relationship that you haven't mentioned in five weeks of flirting with my best friend?"  
"No, it's just... There's a..." Beth sighed. "It's complicated."  
Abby's voice went up an octave.  
"_Complica-"  
_Abby suddenly noticed McGee standing framed in the lab door, lost for words.  
Beth turned and saw him. When their eyes met, she flushed and tried to hurry out the back to hide in the Ballistics lab. Abby caught her before she could move.  
"Oh, no you don't. This whole thing may be too _complicated _ for me, but you are going to make it simple so you can explain it to him. That is the least you can do. And I mean least."  
Abby stormed off into her office, locking the sliding door behind her.  
Beth and McGee stood looking awkwardly at each other for a second, then Beth broke the moment by turning to type on the computer.  
"I bet you're here for the DNA results," she mumbled.  
McGee's hands appeared over hers on the keyboard, then gently drew her fingers away from her work. He tried to keep a hold of her, but she pulled away as soon as she could.  
"Beth, I don't understand. I thought you liked me. You act like you like me, but every time I ask you out, you say no. It's happened so many times you've even stopped offering excuses. Not that they were such great excuses to begin with. 'I have to water my cactus' certainly isn't going to win any prizes for credibility."  
Beth gave a half-smile, still refusing to meet McGee's eyes.  
"You flustered me," she defended herself quietly. "Besides, 'would you like to get some coffee this afternoon' isn't exactly the most original thing I've ever heard."  
McGee smiled properly at that, then put his fingers under her chin to lift her face up from its careful consideration of the floor.  
"What's really going on?" He asked.  
The question hung between them as Beth searched his face, her eyes darting nervously from one point to another. McGee was a little shocked at the expression he saw there; worry, regret and... fear?  
As the tears began to form, Beth could only whisper.  
"Don't ask me again. Please."  
"What are you so afraid of? I won't hurt you, I promise."  
She shook her head free of his hand.  
"I know you won't. It's not me I'm afraid for. There... I... When..." Beth fumbled, lost for words. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  
"I can't tell you," she whispered. "I can't tell anyone. And it means I can't do this." Beth opened her eyes and looked imploringly at McGee.  
"Please just trust me when I say that it's better this way."  
She turned back to the computer and began to give him the name of the woman who had left a hair on the buttons of Petty Officer Drake's uniform. Her voice was shaky, but grew stronger as she went on. McGee was only half listening. She'd said 'can't', not 'won't' or 'don't want to'. There was something else going on here, and the fear he'd seen in those remarkable eyes worried him. What secret was she hiding?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Rule 12: Never date a co-worker. Please review!

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It was late at night in the squad room, the only light coming from the desk lamps of those who hadn't been lucky enough to leave as yet. Bishop was packing her gear, exhausted after a long couple of days on the case when she noticed McGee still working hard at his computer. Puzzled, she went over to him.  
"It's not like you to still be doing paperwork. Usually you're finished an hour after the arrest."  
Bishop lent over McGee's desk, twisting to see his monitor. "Phone records?"  
McGee paused and looked up at her. "Can you keep a secret?" He asked.  
"I'm ex-NSA, remember? Secret-keeping is a whole year of the training. What's up?"  
"It's Beth. We... We were... Talking, earlier. About why she won't go out with me. In amongst the plethora of cliches I thought I had a glimpse into a real reason. Ellie, she's scared. Terrified. Not of getting her heart broken but something else, something more. I thought I'd look into her history, see if there's anything there."  
"Is there?"  
"No. I've been through everything. She grew up as the daughter of missionaries in Tanzania, only had 6 month sabbaticles in the States every couple of years. She was an under-grad in Sydney, then did her Masters in forensics here. NCIS is her first job."  
"What about the present day?"  
"Nope. No unusual calls, bank activity. Nothing. But she's scared, Ellie. Something has her scared. I may not be able to find it in her records, but that doesn't mean it isn't there."  
Bishop pondered for a moment. "She appears perfectly content in all other areas of life, so I would assume that this fear is isolated to one sphere – that of romantic attachment. Therefore, I wouldn't expect to find anything listed in her official records. I mean, there's a list of my ex-boyfriends somewhere in my file, but that was the NSA. Normal people do their best to forget old relationships, and normal employers don't care. I doubt that NCIS has any interest in the romantic history of their lab tech."  
"What are you saying, I should try to find out if she has a little black book?"  
"I'm saying that there isn't likely to be anything in her official records about a relationship that went sour. If it was anything like that, then you're looking in all the wrong places."  
"I can't just call her parents asking them for details on her love life."  
"No, _you_ can't, but... I've got a friend at the NSA who owes me a favour. I can ask him to look into it. He specialises in information gathering."  
"Isn't that kind of an invasion of privacy?"  
Bishop looked at him wryly. "And going through her phone records is... What? A matter of public record?"  
McGee, abashed, thanked her. Bishop packed her things and left the office, leaving McGee sitting alone at his desk in the dim room. It was only a few moments after the elevator doors had closed with Bishop inside them that he realised he wasn't alone.  
"Hey Boss."  
McGee turned around to see Gibbs leaning on the partition behind him.  
"You heard all that?"  
"Mmm-hm."  
"Look, I'm not just turning into an obsessed stalker," McGee rushed to explain. "I genuinely believe that she's scared of something. I want to find out what, and deal with the problem."  
"Ok."  
McGee blinked. "You're ok with this? Checking up on a co-worker, involving the NSA? Not to mention..."  
Gibbs stared, waiting for McGee to get to the point.  
"Rule 12."  
Gibbs smiled. "Yeah, well. Sometimes you can't help but break the rules. But you've gotta be prepared to deal with the consequences."  
"And the checking up?"  
Gibbs looked intently at McGee.  
"Do you think there is a danger here?"  
McGee considered this. "I don't know," he said slowly, "I don't know what it is, but I have a bad feeling about it."  
Gibbs studied him for a moment, then nodded.  
"Follow it up."

It was a few days later. There was no case, so the team was using the time to catch up on paperwork. All that had been said about the mystery Beth had presented them with was from Bishop to McGee.  
"He's looking."  
Tony had, of course, heard this exchange and had not rested until he had been fully informed of it's meaning. McGee had been surprised when DiNozzo jumped on board immediately.  
"I trust your gut, McGibbs," DiNozzo had said, before he returned to his paperwork.  
Encounters between McGee and Beth were short, awkward and completely work-related. He hadn't repeated his offer for coffee, and she tried to conceal her regret-tinged relief. Abby had been vocal about the charged atmosphere until McGee explained what he was doing. After that she watched them silently, taking in each word, each look they exchanged. It was as though the whole world was holding its breath, waiting for Ellie's friend to get back to her about what he'd discovered. McGee's uneasiness was like a virus, and the whole team had caught it. They all watched Beth, eyes unfathomable, as she went about her work. She must have noticed, though she never reacted, never answering the unasked questions that hung in the air. It was as though she knew that if she ignored the atmosphere around her, it must eventually dissipate. That the team's concern would turn to curiosity, then to vague interest until they cared no more about her strange aversion to dating. It would merely become an idiosyncracy, like Tony's jokes or Gibb's stare. And maybe that would have happened if this had been any other team. But what Beth didn't know, couldn't know, was the strength of McGee's convictions, the absolute faith the others had in him, and an old friend of Bishop's who was just now setting a up a video conference to tell her what he'd found.


End file.
